Ebola could be “soundly defeated” by the end of the year if the intensity of case detection and contact tracing was sustained, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) told the Security Council today, outlining reforms to improve the organization’s performance and crediting unwavering leadership, especially in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, for a “night-and-day” difference in the situation from less than a year ago.

1 . The present report is submitted pursuant to Security Council resolutions 1886 (2009), 1941 (2010) and 2005 (2011), in which the Council requested the SecretaryGeneral to submit a report every six months on the activities of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone (UNIPSIL). The report covers the period from 1 March to 31 August 2012.